March 03, 2008
State Launches Traumatic Brain Injury Campaign
Features Toll-Free Statewide Information and Referral Services and Dedicated Website
OLYMPIA -- People of all ages can experience Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) without any warning. That's led the state Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) and Washington Traumatic Brain Injury Strategic Partnership Advisory Council to launch an awareness campaign to help people find TBI resources.
The council was created in 2007 by state legislation to bring together TBI experts from the public and private sectors.
"The number of people who suffer a traumatic brain injury increases every year. The problem affects babies, adolescents, service men and women, and seniors. No one is immune from the threat of TBI," said Bea Rector, DSHS office chief of Home and Community Programs.
The toll free number – 877-TBI-1766 – provides one place where people with TBI can call for information and help. The number will be staffed Monday through Friday, from 8:00 – 5:00 p.m. People also can find resources at any time through the new website, www.tbiwashington.org.
TBI can happen anywhere – running down a soccer field, crossing the street, or driving a car. The injuries are caused by external traumas to the head or violent movement of the head, such as from a fall, car crash, being shaken, or a concussion blast, the leading cause of TBI for active duty military personnel. They can be acute or mild and both can cause symptoms that may last for days, weeks, or years.
With acute TBI, patients can spend weeks or months in a hospital. That's what happened to 14-year-old Joseph Green who was struck by a hit-and-run driver in Shoreline, north of Seattle, in July of 2005. Joe was in a coma for almost two months and according to his mother, Jennifer Green, she and her husband weren't sure at first if their son would survive.
But Joe did survive the accident, and two and a half years later, Jennifer said all of their lives have changed. In retrospect, she said, having him in the hospital in a coma was "the easy part. It's a lot harder work as it progresses." Now their days are devoted to making sure someone is always there for Joe, particularly after he's had seizures.
Jennifer said Joe's personality has changed since the accident, because his frontal lobe was damaged, impacting his cognitive and physical abilities. The love she and her husband have for her youngest son rings true and clear as she describes the different therapies she has sought to help Joe make sense of his new self and the schedule she and her husband carve out to care him at home.
With mild TBI, sometimes the challenge can be getting the correct diagnosis. That was the case for 38-year-old Craig Sicillia, of Spokane, who in August of 2005 was driving his daughter and niece to daycare at 7 a.m. when his car was struck by a drunken driver. Craig's car rolled three times. Fueled by adrenaline, he kicked through the window and rescued the two girls from the car. A month later he began experiencing cognitive and behavioral changes. "I couldn't remember my own name for awhile. I lost about a year of my life," he said.
An advocate by profession, Craig tried to continue working. Six months after the accident he was diagnosed with a moderate traumatic brain injury. Craig found himself having problems processing and reasoning. "I lost who I was and I couldn't figure out who I was becoming," he said.
For the past six months, Craig has received cognitive behavioral therapy that has enabled him to make great strides. He's teamed up with the local office of the Brain Injury Association of Washington, created a TBI website and facilitates a TBI support group at St. Luke's Hospital. The support group has been eye-opening for Craig. "I've met people who have been going through this for decades because they never got the right help," he said.
The most effective treatment for people with TBI addresses three areas: physical/medical, cognitive, and psychological/emotional, according to Laura Dahmer-White, Ph.D., a neuropsychologist and TBI council member. "An individual who receives integrated treatment will have the best outcome, whether the injury is mild, moderate or severe," she said.
And the sooner people receive treatment, the better. That's especially challenging for the population with mild TBI. "Mild is a medical term and doesn't address the severity of challenges individuals face in their lives. People with mild injuries may experience significant physical, cognitive and psychological issues," Dahmer-White explained.
She said she hopes the TBI public awareness campaign will help TBI be recognized and identified as the major health and social problem. She'd like to see more education for professionals who treat TBI and better reimbursement for effective treatments so that people can successfully live independently.
"So many people with brain injuries end up in restricted living situations. They may have problems with impulse control and judgment. Some people end up in prison," she said. "With more support, we could reduce that."
See Fact Sheet and Q & A attached
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